VUE

"I walked into my kitchen at home, and there's this little ball on the kitchen counter on a baking sheet. I grabbed it and took a bite, and I said, 'What is that, it's amazing!' And my wife told me, it was a little quinoa cake—eggs, olive oil, roasted garlic, etc. I spruced it up in my own way and we made a mold [at Battello]." ough the 40-year-old New Jersey native acquired much experience in prestigious restaurants with famous chefs, this simple creation is a reminder of his strong family roots. His ability to create new dishes that are true to his personal experiences— whether in a Michelin-starred kitchen in Europe or at home feeding his daughter—is a big part of what makes DePersio such a unique talent. And ultimately, it was his family's cooking which ignited his passion for culinary while growing up in the first place. Chef DePersio has also added a couple large-format dishes that can accomodate two to three people. e first of which is a 36 oz. bone- in ribeye with a bone marrow bread pudding, broccoli rabe, paprika salsa and bagna cauda butter. e other, more of "a show" as he likes to say, is a 2 ½ lb. grilled lobster served with charred parsnips, Old Bay butter and chicken fried broccoli. And as you scan the menu, you'll notice certain recurring foods, albeit used in very different methods. DePersio is constantly looking for ways to use his ingredients to their full potential, reinterpreting otherwise unused pieces of produce with a creative flair. V U E N J . C O M 131

• Cover